Rightfully Ours
**Note : This fanfiction takes place long before the times of Darkstalker, only at 1,000 A.S.** Do Not Edit Prologue ~50 Years Ago~ Eerie briskly walked through the halls of the IceWing palace. The party was in four minutes! He couldn't be late! He was never late! And even though he was as high as the queen, there would surely be a punishment if the tribe's first and only animus was late. "See ya there, daddy!" a silver dragonet called, giggling as she galloped past him. "You be careful, Plover," he called to his daughter, still walking at his pace. "That dragonet will knock the walls down if she's not careful!" another dragon said to him, smiling. She was pure white with silvery-blue eyes. "Just like you when you were little, my dear," Eerie chuckled, and kissed her forehead. She scowled (well, her face was always too kind to scowl, but she tried her best), twined her tail with his, and hurried after Plover. Eerie soon emerged from the halls to the party and feasting area of the palace, called the Flurry Ballroom, designed by a dragon named Flurry fifty years ago. It was shaped like a hexagon, with large triangle shaped windows on each wall. The floor was made of blue ice with intricate snowflake patterns within it. From the ceiling hung an enormous ice chandelier shaped like a snowflake as well. The points were so sharp, they looked like they could kill a dragon with one stab. Luckily, the ceiling was about as high as ten full grown dragons on their hind legs on top of each other. Although, from the looks of it, dragons would probably have to stack on top of each other to fit in the room. Everywhere he looked, white, silver, light blue, and pale lavender dragons filled the area. He could barely see the queen sitting at the far end of the banquet table looking in his direction. Well, actually, looking right at him. She smiled in that way she always did when she wanted something, and beckoned to him. He weaved his way through tails, limbs, and wings, and eventually found his way to Queen Drift sitting on her sapphire throne. Well, it looked like a throne, but it was actually just her chair. Her real throne made this one look like a homeless dragon's stool. "I want a nice performance today, Eerie," the IceWing queen started. "Before we eat, we shall have a show featuring you and your magic. Report to the stage at moon rise." She nodded at the grand stage on the right walls of the ballroom, made of ice with curtains of lace. "Yes, Your Majesty," he replied, bowing as low as he could. She smiled down at him, rubbing his strong shoulder. "Now go and dance, drink, and have fun." "You too," he said, and trotted away to find Harp and Plover. He turned in a full circle, and soon spotted his wife's pure white scales and cobalt blue earrings at the buffet line with Plover right behind her. He waved to them, but they were too busy deciding on which sushi rolls looked the best. He gave a little laugh, and fluttered over to them. *** "We'll be cheering for you, love," Harp said sweetly, patting him on the back. "Break a leg!" Plover exclaimed with a mouth full of shrimp, then burst into giggles. Harp sighed affectionately. "What are we going to do with her?" Eerie slightly shook his head and headed to the stage. Now everyone was paying attention to him. All the......pfft, only all the five-hundred faces staring into his soul. He tried not to make eye-contact with anyone as he beat his wings to fly onto the stage. Queen Drift was in front of the audience, looking back at them. She raised her elegant wings to silence the crowd, and announced, "IceWings! We have a special treat for you tonight! We have a special guest performing for us! Please welcome, Pyrrhia's first animus, EERIE OF THE ICEWINGS!" She flicked her tail in his direction while dragons cheered and hollered, and this time he was the one to raise his wings for silence. "My fellow IceWings!" he bellowed, "I am here to present my animus magic to you! To show you it's abilities!" he paused, and raised his arms to make the silvery smooth curtains flow and float. "To show you it's powers!" he stopped again, and lifted his arm again to make a random dragon in the crowd soar into the air and back to the ground again. He blinked in bewilderment as the IceWings around him roared with laughter. "And most importantly!" Eerie boomed, "To you amusement!" He tapped the ice below him to make fireworks of snow shoot out of the ground. He loved the oohs and aahs ''of the audience, especially of the queen herself. He sent out a giant firework to get the crowd's attention. "As with all performances, I must have a volunteer!" he called, creating a snowball out of thin air. "Whoever catches this ball shall come on stage with me!" he explained, then hurled it to the mass of ice dragons. A very pale sky blue IceWing about the same age as him leaped into the air to catch it, and cried with jubilation. "Come to me," Eerie commanded, and before the burly dragon could take a step, he rocketed onto the stage with the snowball clasped in his talons. "Now, what is your name, sir?" Eerie asked with a pleasant grin. The dragon shook himself, then answered, "Erm, Borealis." "Borealis, my friend, I ask you this : If you could have anything, what would it be?" Eerie asked, putting his talons on the buff dragon's shoulder. Even though they were about the same age, Borealis was more than a head taller than him, and made him look like a twig. He had a few scars down his neck, and a few of his tail spikes were missing. He looked like he was in the queen's army. "Uh, probably a son," he stuttered awkwardly, shifting his feet. A few sounds of sympathy echoed from the audience. "Temporarily, a son is mine to grant," Eerie said, snapping off a loose piece of ice from the floor and holding it in his left talon. Peering at it, he dramatically recited, "I enchant this shard of ice to turn into a one year old IceWing dragonet that is exactly how Borealis the IceWing would want a son." He set the minuscule piece of ice onto the ground in front of Borealis, and watched as it slowly became bigger.....and bigger.......and more dragon-like......and more dragon-like..........until it looked like an ice sculpture of a dragon. But the spell didn't stop there. The dragon made of ice glowed with a bright light white - so bright Eerie had to shield his eyes. When the light finally dimmed, he took his wing away, and saw a tiny pearl-white IceWing peering at Borealis with big navy blue eyes. "Daddy?" he finally chirped after several heartbeats. The joy that swept across Borealis's face was priceless. He picked up the dragonet and laughed and smiled, tears streaming down his face. The tough dragon spun around in circles as the tiny white hat atop his head giggled and giggled. It was too much to take away. Just too much. Eerie smiled, and decided, "Tell you, what, since you are a waterfall of happiness, you can keep your little dragonet." Borealis crumpled to his knees and tried to bow the best he could. "Thank you," he choked out. "Thank you." When the two IceWings exited the stage, Eerie continued his show. "Now, while we're still on the topic of warm - heartedness, what about making something that can control your body temperature?" he tried, slicing a corner of the curtains off. "I enchant this to turn into a necklace that keeps you at your desired temperature," he murmured, holding it close to his chest. The fabric became long and stretched out, and soon become hard and shiny. Before he knew it, Eerie had a silver necklace with an opal charm lying in his palm, and his whole body surged with warmth. He didn't even realize how cold he was. Normally IceWings could withstand the coldest blizzards, but for some reason, he was shivering from head to tail and his talons were tingling. He tried to calm his body with the heat, but his spine rattled and his eyes felt tired. He didn't like that feeling at all. He chucked the necklace into the audience, and a silvery dragon caught it, dropping it over her neck. "I know what you are all thinking-this is extraordinary!" Eerie exclaimed, throwing up his arms, "And you probably want to see something extra special. So you will! I need another volunteer!" He stopped and pointed at a very pale blue dragon with spots of pale pink in the back row of the audience. She soared to the stage, her tail spikes clanking. "And what is your name, my lady?" he asked, gesturing to her with his arm. "Lavender-Blue," she told him, looking slightly nervous. "Lavender-Blue, are you ready for some magic?" he asked, getting weirdly excited. It felt like he was empty inside, but his chest still swelled with triumph. She just barely nodded, and he touched one claw to her shoulder. "I enchant Lavender-Blue of the IceWings to take action to whatever I tell her to do," he muttered, closing his eyes. His eyelids felt heavy, and his claws shook violently. He took his talon away and demanded, "Fly around the entire stage." She obeyed without a word, although her eyes sparkled with both interest and horror. When she landed beside him, he commanded, "Now stand up on your hind legs and shout your name once." She rose up and yelled, "Lavender-Blue!" Dragons chuckled and whispered. Suddenly, he felt a sharp twinge swivel down his neck and to his tail. "Scratch your tail," he barked, and her serrated claws raked against her beautiful scales, and she cried out with pain. "Silence," he said as he held up on claw, and he mouth snapped shut. "Throw yourself across the stage," he ordered, and she hurled herself across the long stage of ice and thudded loudly at the other end. A wicked smile spread across his face. "Tear off your armband and give it to me," he said, just noticing the golden bracelet woven around her forearm. She broke it off her arm and awkwardly threw it to him, wincing in pain. He held it to his forehead and hissed, "I enchant this bracelet to change into diamond earrings that Queen Drift will love," he stopped, feeling like he was a hollow shell, then continued even softer, "and the moment she puts it on, let it kill her." "My queen, for you," he declared, tossing it to the dazzling IceWing. His eyes narrowed as she inspected it..........turned it over in her claws............shook it...........and finally put it on. It seemed like a shock sizzled through her body, and only a second later, she dropped dead. He let out a laugh as dragons gasped and pointed. They didn't even notice that the points of the chandelier snapped off and were ready to impale them. It was only when he hopped off the stage with his mini army of icicles when a tiny white dragonet's ears pricked up and stared at him. He let out the loudest shriek Eerie had ever heard, but was cut off when a knife of ice stabbed him in the heart. Chaos. Screaming. Dead bodies everywhere. Eerie snarled as he sent more icicles after dragons, each one killing at least two IceWings. He began to step over corpses with stains of blues smeared on their scales when he growled, "Every dead body in this ballroom! Kill the dragon nearest to you!" IceWings that were alive huddled together in corners, hoping that they would survive. But there were too many that were already dead, morphing into zombies that slowly ate them alive. Eerie stormed past the buffet line and the tables, the fallen decorations and the broken chairs, until he came to a familiar face. She looked at him with such terror that she staggered back, shook herself, and whispered, "Eerie, please. Please don't do this. You aren't like this. You wouldn't kill your wife. You ''wouldn't." He threw back his head and cackled manically, "Oh, I most certainly would." Chapter One Giftbringer woke up to the flapping sound of his navy blue window curtains. He stretched, hopped off of his fluffy bed, and opened his window to let the moonlight pour into the room. The gift was in five days. FIVE DAYS! He sighed, resting his snout on the windowsill. What in Pyrrhia would it be? Out there were dragons counting on him, so he couldn't just turn up empty handed. He glanced up at the moons rising. Moons, moons, moons......''his mind echoed. Moons could work. They were ''Night''Wings after all, so a power that had something to do with the moons was definitely a possibility. He shook his head, trying to drag himself out of the black hole that sucked him in it everyday. He wheeled around to the pool of water near the right wall of his room. He grabbed a rag out of the crate next to it, and dunked his face, cleaning his dry scales with the black rag. He used a mint leaf to clean his teeth, then looked at his reflection in the water. Very dark purple scales smiled up at him, along with a dark navy blue underbelly, dark gray horns, and sweet lavender eyes. He stared at himself for a moment, then wheeled around to his door and opened it wide. His bodyguard, Shade, was leaning against the wall, alert. She dipped her head, stepping out of his way. "Good morning, sir," she said, her tone flat. Her dagger was sharpened and glistening, just like her dark violet scales. "G'morning, Shade!" he happily replied, already walking down the left hall. He was so lost in thought while he walked that he didn't even notice the jet black scales that nearly collided with him. "Oops! Sorry Libra!" he told the NightWing princess, ducking his head. Her jet black scales were smooth and polished, just like her navy blue horns, claws, and underbelly. He always took notice to the silver-star scales on the underside of her wings. They were shaped to look like the constellation Libra, just like her name. "That's fine, Gift!" she chirped back, looking like she had no problems in all of her days. "How's life?" Aether, Gift's other guard, slipped out of the shadows. He was a black like a raven's feathers with a dark red underbelly. He was tiny, but very strong-looking. "Giftbringer, the queen needs to discuss the power with you this afternoon," he informed him, then walked off to the food court to get some breakfast. Gift slouched a little. He did not like meetings with Queen Serenity ONE BIT. ''Especially ''when those meetings had something to do with the power, and he didn't have a clue in Pyrrhia's name of what it was going to be. He nodded, and turned back to Libra. "Do you wanna go get breakfast?" he asked, starting to walk down the right hall. She followed. "Do you need help with anything?" his friend asked, meeting his pace. He glanced back at Shade, who was following them. She stilled stayed a 'respectful distance' away from him, which he thought was sort of ridiculous. He was not that big of a deal. Well, actually, maybe he was, but there were more important dragons to worry about! Like the queen! Like Prince Ebony, or the princess. He didn't need bodyguards, really. He wasn't going to get assassinated. He was literally the fate of the tribe! Every dragon he passed was practically kissing his talons. And he wasn't going to massacre the entire palace at some party or anything. He was one of the least dangerous dragons in the tribe. Gift landed back on Pyrrhia, and shook his head. Just as the two turned the corner, another NightWing his age that was walking the other way stopped, her whole face lighting up. "Gift! Just who I was looking for! How's is going old bud?" Nightshimmer asked, smiling. Her scales were a mix of dark blue and purple, with wisps of silver. She looked like the galaxies hanging in the sky with the stars. "I'm doing good, thanks Nightshimmer!" Gift replied, then added, "We were just getting breakfast. Would you like to join us?" She nodded, stepping on the other side of him. "Actually wait, Libra. I do need something," Gift remembered, looking her in the eye. "What?" she asked, looking curious. "Can you get me out of that meeting I'm supposed to have with your mother?" he questioned, only half joking. He didn't care that Shade was right behind them, probably hearing their every word. She was always with him, so she knew him quite well. She knew he didn't like meetings. She didn't seem to care, but then again, he couldn't read her mind or anything like that, so he didn't really know. She was always so expressionless, but he was sure she had her reasons. He turned back to the princess. "If I can get out, would you guys want to go to the Exotic Market with me? I heard there's a bunch of RainWings and SkyWings there today." "Look kid, that market has a lot of dragons that might kidnap you. I agree that sometimes the queen's orders can be too much, but she's the queen. We have to obey her," a voice pointed out from behind him, and Gift realized it was Aether. He didn't even realize that he had been there almost the whole time they had been walking. "Why would they kidnap a random dragonet? ''They ''don't know I'm-they don't know I'm an animus, and I'm certainly not going to shout it from the mountain tops!" he argued back. He almost said 'they don't know I'm special', but he bit back the words. They sounded mean. That was something he wasn't. "I love the Exotic Market!" Libra exclaimed, sounding like she was trying to change the subject. "As long as we can distract my mother with something else, we might be able to cancel your meeting." She smiled at him, and he returned the grin. "What should we do?" she asked, giving him a sly smirk. "Um.....so....you see, I'm not too good at distracting," he started, thinking ''I don't think anyone can be distracted from me, ''with a slight slouch. "Uh...maybe a fire in the kitchen?" he suggested, trying not to sound lame. There was a sparkle in Libra's eyes, like he said exactly what she wanted him to say. "You read my mind," she joked, and turned to Nightshimmer. "You up for it?" The NightWing nodded, laughing a bit. Gift ran after Libra, with Nightshimmer close on his tail. He completely tuned out the guards that yelled for him to stop running because it might break his precious bones. "Don't set a fire! If you do, I'll get fired for not looking after you, and then you know what happens! I won't get a power!" Aether called to the trio as they ran through the beautiful halls of the palace. He noticed Shade wasn't following them anymore. She was probably sick of chasing dragonets everywhere. "If you get fired, then don't worry! I can sneak you a power!" Gift called back, now running alongside Libra. As Nightshimmer sprinted to the other side of the princess, he heard Aether mutter, "Or maybe I'll be killed." "You know Aether," Gift panted, picking up a rock that found its way onto the carpet, "why don't you just take a break and buy something at the market?" ''Enchant this rock to become a small sack full of coins. Make sure that there are enough coins so that Aether can buy whatever he chooses, ''he quickly rushed in his mind, and watched as the rough gray stone morphed into a heavy brown sack, He tossed it to his guard. The black dragon edged with crimson stopped with the sack in his talons. "Wow, thanks Giftbringer. I'm going to the market now," he said, sounding astounded. He walked away, grinning. "So, who will do the honors of lighting the fire?" Libra joked, slowing down to a pace closer to walking. Nightshimmer and Gift laughed, and he answered, "I can if you want! But......how will we get in to light it?" He immediately answered himself, "There's a warehouse not far from here. It leads to a bunch of places-including the kitchen. Dragons are always in it, even dragonets. We could sneak into the kitchen that way." He nodded slightly. He knew the palace better than his own claws. He could walk through the entire palace with his eyes shut and ears covered. Both of his friends nodded happily. "Let's go!" Libra whispered. She was smiling ear to ear now. He could tell that she loved doing things like this. They probably helped her get away from life, like how he did when he was with friends. He laughed as he ran along his friends. He felt so ''happy. ''He never felt dark or gloomy, or like those animi from the stories he used to read. He always read that they went berserk and killed everyone. He remembered reading about the very first animus, an IceWing named Eerie. If he remembered right, he believed that Eerie died in the year of 950 A.S. The story of his death was horrifying. He read that Eerie cast spells a lot like him. To help dragons, to serve the queen, to make his life easier. He was also quite charming and kind (also like Gift, which put him off guard). But the story of when he died was horrifying. He was apparently at a party, what for Gift couldn't remember. But the words that the scroll spelled out was something he'd never forget. ''The IceWing was preforming at the party in front of every dragon there. No one is quite sure why he switched to the dark side, but it was impossible to miss when. He cast a spell to kill his queen, and by the time the crowd finally figured out what had happened, it was too late. He was said to have had an army of polar bears, narwhals, glaciers, and zombies, and killed every dragon that stepped in his way. IceWings claimed that they could hear his laughs from miles away. Eerie killed almost every dragon in the room he was in, including his wife. It was finally his daughter, Plover, who ended his destruction by crushing (and impaling) him with an ice sculpture. Her quote from thirty years after the event is the following : '' ''"At first I wouldn't believe that father, who had been joking with me at dinner earlier, had been causing the mayhem. I tried to stop him calmly...but when I saw that he had killed my mother, I realized that he wasn't stopping." Gift shuddered. Her hated, hated, HATED thinking about that. But....it was probably just some made up story to scare four-year-olds, right? Yeah, that was it. Just a story. Because, how could such a friendly dragon turn into a mass murderer? It certainly wouldn't happen to him. It wouldn't. It couldn't. Chapter Two The trio had slowed to a walking pace as they approached the left wing of the palace. "This prank will be so awesome! A fire in the kitchen will totally get you out of any meeting, Gift!" Nightshimmer exclaimed, beaming. But all too suddenly, she stopped, and so did Libra. Their faces went blank, like a raging hurricane pausing to take a lunch break. What? ''Gift thought, a little worried to speak. He followed their eyes, and saw why they looked so petrified. It was Shadowhunter, one of the queen's best guards. And she was right outside the warehouse, ''not ''smiling. "Was was that about a fire?" she asked, her voice smooth yet cold like ice. Gift ducked his head. Getting in trouble. That was another thing he hated. "It...we-we were just going to pran-....sorry. We don't want any trouble Shadowhunter," he mumbled, trying not to look into her eyes. "A fire prank? And I'm assuming in the kitchens? Giftbringer, I'm not trying to lecture you, but this isn't smart. Do you want the queen to have a fresh new set of heads on the wall, and one of those being mine?!" the guard questioned, more emotion pouring into her voice. Gift cringed at the thought. "No!" he said, trying to not sound like a newborn. He couldn't help but sneak a glance at his friends. ''Please don't hurt them. '' "Maybe we should just call it off, guys," he offered. barely moving. "Aw, c'mon Gift! My mother won't want any killing today! We could just make up another reason you can't go! Maybe pretend you're ill?" Libra reassured, brushing him with her wings. "You don't have to go to the meeting, it's probably nothing." Her eyes were glittering, like she wanted to stay with him. He smiled sheepishly at her. "You really think so? Yeah, uh, I guess you're right. Hey, I have an idea!" he said, then picked up a little wooden bowl and spoon. Probably from the warehouse, but there were tons of bowls and utensils. At the bowl, he ordered, "Change into a blank scroll." It started rippling and shifting......and changing.....until in his talons sat a nice and neat little scroll. He unrolled it on the ground, then eyed the spoon he held. "Turn into a quill, and write onto the scroll, 'I am most very sorry, but I cannot be at the meeting you have called for. Please reschedule the date soon, and I will see if I can attend. ~Giftbringer.'" The spoon became longer and thinner, then lighter and feathery. Not more than a second later when it was fully transformed did it write Gift's exact words onto the scroll. It was neater than anything he could have ever done. He handed it to Shadowhunter. "Can you please give this to the queen?" he asked politely. The large and intimidating dragon nodded and flew away. He knew that he used a lot of magic at once, but the spells were tiny. They were just to make his life easier. Yet he still couldn't shake the thought of that IceWing tale. "Now that we have that taken care of, let's go to the market place! I have some money that I saved to spend! We could buy things for you to enchant, Gift!" Nightshimmer suggested. He felt his spirits lifted. "Okay! We could enchant a watermelon that never runs out of fruit! Or a necklace that can make you invisible! Or something only for the three of us!" he laughed, feeling more like himself. His mind started racing through all the possibilities. He could do anything. "Let's go then!" Nightshimmer exclaimed, running to the left wing exit. Gift glanced at Libra, and though she was smiling, she has worry in her eyes. "Coming?" he asked, trying to distract her. She nodded, looking like she was trying to seem completely relaxed. They followed Nightshimmer out of the grand doors, and started flying to the Exotic Market. Gift had to beat his wings extra hard to stay afloat with the speeding air currents, and just was able to keep up with his friends. If only it weren't so windy.......or if he were faster. No, that was one of the spells he could NEVER do. Invincibility, immortality, and super strength/speed were things he'd never enchant himself to do. ''But if you were invincible, no one could ever kill you, ''his mind echoed. ''Ack! Where id that come from?! I'm not-I mean-I don't do that! ''He had a small panic attack. Libra must of noticed the panic-stricken look on his face, because she flew right up beside him and asked, "Are you okay, Gift? You're not worried about anything dangerous, right?" She truly looked concerned, and if he wasn't so caught-off-guard, he would be thankful for that. He slowed his breaths. "Yes....I'm okay," he said softly, those horrible thoughts still bouncing off the walls of his mind. He would ''never ''do that. He would ''never ''become like that. ''But you could be so powerful, ''the little voice snarked. Where did that little devil on his shoulder come from?! "I'm okay!" he said louder, not realizing he actually spoke. Libra reached out her arm to put it on his shoulder, but then pulled back, looking unsure of herself. "If you say so," she murmured, and flew to Nightshimmer's side. Gift focused on the environment around him to try to distract himself. A pack of wolves trotted to the east, towards the river. Deer drinking from it bounded away, their white tails waving like flags. A large brown owl was flying below him, hooting as it searched for prey. Tree leaves rippled and blew, looking like a fox shaking it's wet fur. Right in front of him were two of the three moons climbing the sky, large and silvery and beautiful. Wait. The moons were in the sky. It wasn't yesterday. ''Only four days left, ''his mind mocked, realizing it before he did. ''Stop it! ''he yelled in his head. He knew quite well that he hadn't thought of the tribe's power yet, and he certainly didn't need some voice in his head rubbing it in. ''Then why don't you make it stop? ''the voice shot back. That.......was true. Magic could fix a lot of things. He tucked in his wings and soared low to the ground. As the grass waved beneath him, he snapped a branch off of a small tree and rose back up to his friends, muttering, "I enchant this stick to, whenever it is near me, make my thoughts less negative and worry-filled." Almost instantly he felt the worries in the back of his mind melt away. That little voice disappeared as well. He felt the smooth bark in his claws, then plucked a leaf off of his sanity-saver. "I enchant you to become a small pouch that can fit around my neck. Let it be able to fit any of the items I put inside of it," he ordered the round green-blue leaf. It grew larger, and the stem became long and thin. Soon, and navy blue drawstring pouch was in his talons. He dropped the stick in, and felt a small tingle go down his spine as he tied it around his neck. Chapter Three As the friends flew towards the Exotic Market, it was Gift's tun to realize that somebody was worried. He noticed how Libra kept fiddling with he talons, and how she kept glancing at him with a crease in her brow. Finally, she spoke to him, "Hey, uh....Gift? Maybe we should go back to the palace.....y'know, take a break until dinner? And maybe stop doing magic today?" she quickly added, looking at him hopefully. Gift couldn't help but look at the Exotic Market's gates about a mile in front of them. "Uh, sure. Okay. A rest does sound nice. Are you okay with that, Nightshimmer?" he asked his other friend. She nodded, only looking slightly less worried than Libra. They must of been whispering to each other as they flew. He made a U-turn, and suddenly heard a familiar voice shout, "Hey guys! Wait up!" He smiled. He could pin-point that voice even if he was in a room with fifty other dragons. When he turned around, Ophelia was already barreling into him with an enormous hug. She had dark blue-black scales and beautiful silver eyes. Her membrane was dark blue that faded to black at the top of her wings, and her silver star scales on her wings were shaped like the swirls of ocean waves. She was thin with a long neck, and looked as graceful as a swan (even though she ''looked ''graceful, she did have a specialty of running into things). "I was looking for you guys!" she smiled, slightly panting. Her pet wolf was on her shoulder, doing that dog smile where she pulled back her lips and let her tongue spill out of her mouth. What was her name? ''Oh, that's it. It's Sylvia, ''he remembered, rubbing the silver wolf's chin. The four of them landed, and Ophelia noticed his pouch. "Ooh, nice pouch Gift! Did you get it at the market?" "No," he replied as she cupped it in her talons, "I made it." She looked at it with such awe, and politely didn't open it. She told him millions of times how much she loved magic. ''She's not afraid of it, ''he realized, feeling a lot better about the whole magic-turns-you-evil thing. Although, to be fair, Ophelia wasn't afraid of jumping into a dark pit with spiky rocks at the bottom. "Hey Gift, when we get back to the palace, can I help you brainstorm ideas for the power?" Libra asked, looking like herself again. "I can help too!" Ophelia exclaimed, but Nightshimmer only frowned. "I have to help my father with cleaning," she started, "but I can give you ideas on the way back." Gift laughed in what felt like the first time in centuries. "Okay! I do need ideas, asap!" "I give him ideas all the time," Ophelia explained to Libra, "but he always says they're TOO CRAZY! How can teleportation be TOO CRAZY?" The jet black NightWing giggled. "Teleportation is too crazy! But we have to have better powers than the rest of the tribes. What were you thinking along the lines of, Gift? A different power for each dragon that they pass down to their children? Or something for the whole tribe?" She sighed, "If only we could see the future. Then we would know the power you choose and wouldn't have to think about it!" A large dragon stepped close to them, and right before he had a heart attack, Gift realized it was just Shade. He completely forgot that she was following them, and would probably be a good assassin if she was assigned for the job. She was probably just dying to hear what the power was going to be like every other dragon in the tribe. "I think I want something that everyone in the tribe has," he responded, entranced by the moons. They were starting to sink below the horizon, looking like silver hills. After a moment of silence, he added, "I want something with the moons. We are NightWings after all." Nightshimmer stared at the moons, too, and suggested, "Maybe the moons can play a role in getting the power. Like they make it stronger or something." Ophelia nodded excitedly. That was a good idea. He yawned. "That's a good idea! I'll keep it in mind, but right now I want to go to sleep." The others nodded, and Sylvia agreed with a howl. The group ascended into the air, and retraced their wing-beats to return to the palace. Chapter Four As the sun rose, tiny bluebirds chirped as the fluttered through the air, and the smell of dew and flowers filled the air. Though it was beautiful, the sun was a little too bright for Gift and the squeaking and squawking of birds was a little too loud. Or maybe he was just really tired. Shade flew directly below Gift, probably for a reason like if he fell asleep while flying Shade would be able to catch him. He wanted to laugh, but he was too sleepy. When the castle finally came into view, it felt like a mirage. Nightshimmer had departed them earlier, returning to her home a little ways away from the castle. Ophelia was still with them, but she would have to keep flying until she reached the edge of the Night Kingdom, at the edge of the rainforest. "Gift? Gift! We're here!" Libra's voice suddenly yelled, and Gift realized that he was about to fly past the palace. "Mphing," he humphed, no emotion in his voice. She laughed, and brushed him with her wings as they landed at the main doors. He didn't have time to acknowledge that they were polished to look like metal, and lined with gold and obsidian. He just walked past the guards, and waited for the grand doors to be opened. *** "Goodnight, Gift!" Libra called as she walked down the right hall to her room. She didn't seem tired at all. "Goodnight," he mumbled, trying to sound enthusiastic. She giggled, and trotted away. He padded down the right hall to the rooms for the 'important but not royal'. Shade followed him soundlessly, and nodded to him as he opened his door. "Goodnight, sir," she said, putting her spear down. He attempted a smile, and closed his door. He flopped down on his fluffy bed, and instantly fell asleep. *** "Gift! Gift, wake up!" He felt a dragon shaking him violently. He opened his eyes to Ophelia beaming at him. "It's time!" she cheered, bouncing up and down. "Time for what?" he echoed, a bit confused. "For the gift! The power! What ''everyone's been waiting for." "What?! it's TODAY?! RIGHT NOW?!" Gift yelped, flinging himself out of his bed. "Well, in an hour. The queen wants you to meet with her first to discuss what it is," his friend calmly explained. How did he forget?! How COULD he forget?! "I-I-" he started, but snapped his mouth shut. He could disappoint one of his best friends! He couldn't let the whole kingdom down! He needed to think, and fast! "What's wrong?" Ophelia asked, grabbing him. "Gift, what's wrong?" He woke up to Ophelia shaking him. "Are you alright?" she inquired, concerned. Her eyes shined with slight fear. She seemed like she could sense that something wasn't right. "I-...no," he admitted, a little embarrassed. The navy blue dragon squeezed his talons and looked far into his eyes, probably into his soul. "I know what your worries are. I know what you think. I know it's hard. But it's in three days. That means you have three days to think. So live them as they come, alright?" She squeezed his talons even harder. "Alright," Gift breathed, slouching. "Now go to sleep," his friend whispered, letting go of his talons and sweeping out the door. But, I can't.....I don't.....think.... his mind couldn't even string the words together. He felt like he could sleep for seven eons, but he needed to think. He knew Ophelia told him not to, but she didn't have to fulfill a promise to the entire tribe that was made before she could speak. He paced his room, getting fainter at each step. Chapter Five Gift sighed and rubbed his crusted eyes. He hauled himself over to the pool, rippling like it had the best night's sleep in the world. It gurgled at him smugly, but he was too tired to splash away its perfect tides. Instead, he loomed over it and took a good look at his reflection. Yep. He looked like a maniac. He eyes were bloodshot, and his scales were dry. His tongue looked like a barren desert, and he moved in jerky spasms. He turned away, casting a longing look at his bed. He wore his brain down to the dust last night trying to think of ANYTHING, but as the night wore on, the best he could muster up was sleeping powers. He trudged over to a leftover bone from his dinner, and picked it up. "Turn into a hang-able slate that has writing etched into it on both sides. On one side, say 'Do Not Disturb', and on the other side, say 'Entrance Allowed'." He set it down as it transformed into a stoney gray sign with the exact lettering carved into it. Attached to the top was a black rope. He felt a slight tingle down his spine, but he put that thought aside. His entire body was jittery of sleepiness. He slowly walked to his door, and opened it to find Shade standing outside of it like a statue. She saluted him, and he gave her a pitiful look as he hung the sign and closed the door. His body felt cold all the way to his core as he bundled up in his blankets and started to drift off. Too soon, Gift heard light talon steps approaching his room. He heard Shade acknowledge them, and then silence. He heaved himself off of his bed, and used a quick bit of magic to clean up the mess he made last night. Bits of scrolls vanished into the air as he opened the door. All of his tiredness melted away, and a smile shot across his face. It was returned by Libra. "I was about to turn away!" she exclaimed. "Don't ever," he said softly, leaning closer to her, and their wings brushed. His face flushed, and he backed away. She laughed at him. "What's up?" she asked brightly. "Nothing much, just thinking. The usual," he replied, lifting his wings a bit. "You know, if that sign is ever up, you don't have to follow it. Come in whenever you want." It was Libra's turn to blush. "Oh, okay," she said, looking like her spirits rose. "I was just kind of bored, and I thought that you'd maybe wanna do something?" "Sure!" Gift replied. "What do you want to do?" "We could snack in the kitchens, play hide and seek, hang out in the market, tease the guards-" she cut herself off when she noticed Shade, "...or not." The guard looked away, like she was trying to hide an emotion from coming out. "Let's get a snack first, golly, I'm starving!" Gift said, is stomach growling like a bear. They both let out a laugh and walked past awakening dragons to get to the kitchens. Shade followed them like a shadow. When the three of them reached the kitchens, cooks were already bustling about, grabbing ingredients, mixing pots. As Gift's head turned to the cafeteria, he saw way more than a handful of dragons getting served breakfast before they flew off to work. A trio of older NightWings sat at a table munching on some scrambled hawk eggs as they played chess. A couple got their bowls filled with soup at the hot breakfast line as they had a conversation about what to name their dragonet. Above the hot breakfast line was a chalkboard menu of the specials for the day. Many dragons fluttered in through the windows with fresh prey. Moonlight poured in through the windows too, making the silver walls glow like the moon. Libra reserved a table at the far right of the cafeteria, and joined Gift in the grab and go line. Shade made her way to the hot breakfast line where she ordered some tea. Gift picked up a cold sandwich, and Libra grabbed a biscuit. *** Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete) Category:Fanfictions Category:Genre (Romance) Category:Genre (Adventure) Category:Fanfictions (Fanon) Category:Roleplay Stories